This is the BEST Vegan Lentil Loaf ever! Using both plant-based lentils and your favorite vegan ground beef crumbles, make this Vegan Lentil Loaf healthy but with a "beefy like" texture!
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grab a pan and place on medium-high heat. Add oil and then butter into the hot pan until the butter has melted
Next, add your chopped onions, garlic paste, and mushrooms and cook on medium-high heat until veggies are soft and translucent for about 5 minutes. Once veggies are done cooking set aside.
Take half (1 cup) of your pre-cooked lentils and blend together in your food processor. This will help your loaf bind together. Add your processed lentils to a large mixing bowl along with the other unprocessed whole lentils.
In your large mixing bowl also add cooked mushrooms and onions, thawed out vegan beef crumbles, ketchup, Vegan Worcestershire Sauce, vegetable bouillon, fresh parsley (or dried Italian herbs), sea salt, black pepper, bread crumbs, and instant oats.
Mix together until fully combined, gently smashing together (not too much tho). You can get messing and use your hands for this. It's kinda fun!
Line your pan with parchment paper for an easier cleanup or lightly grease your baking sheet or loaf pan with oil. Add your mixture to your baking sheet forming it into a loaf (it should hold with no problem). Or add it to your loaf pan and pat down.
Top with vegan BBQ sauce or your own personal favorite meatloaf sauce. Put in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Take out and let cool. The longer it cools the more it holds when you cut it.
Top with additional vegan BBQ sauce and serve with your favorite sides!
Video
Notes
PRE COOKED LENTILS: Use pre cooked lentils in the refrigerated section of your store to save time in making the recipe. If not make your own first. You will need ¾ cup dried lentils and 2 ½ cups of water. (NO SOAKING FOR LENTILS REQUIRED) Bring water to a boil and simmer lentils for 25 minutes. Drain well, and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. This helps prevent a mushy loaf.
MOCK GROUND BEEF: As of present day, there are now vegan ground beef packaged products (like the Impossible brand) versus just frozen crumbles. Feel free to experiment with those as they might provide a better bind than the crumbles! Any brand you like will be find.
MOCK GROUND BEEF BRANDS: Originally this recipe uses Beyond Meat Crumbles BUT I have redone this with Gardein brand and I like that better. Not everyone likes pea protein so I suggest using Gardein, Vegan Morning Star, or Boca. Please note that the size of the the package doesn't matter too much (as each brand varies from 10 to 13 ounces). Whatever brand you use, be sure to use the entire package.
FIRMER HOLD: The longer it cools, the better it will hold. If you want a firmer hold you will have to combine all ingredients inside a food processor. The downside of that is you can loose a lot of that "beefy" texture processing all the ingredients together. So it's all about what you desire the most.
ADDITIONS & OTHER SUBSTITUTIONS: Here's a secret, if you cannot find Vegan Worcestershire Sauce, use A1 steak sauce instead!